Maven Huffman
Maven won a year's contract with the company after he won the first series of Tough Enough, a reality television show used to find new WWE stars, in 2001. Maven eliminated The Undertaker from the 2002 Royal Rumble by dropkicking him from behind; Undertaker responded in turn by returning to the ring and tossing Maven out of the ring, hitting him with a steel chair, and beating him all the way back to the concession stand area. Maven received a shot at Chris Jericho's undisputed title on the January 28th edition of Raw. He lost, and was granted a beating by Undertaker after the match. The two wrestlers began a feud over the Hardcore Title, which Maven won from Undertaker due to interference from his trainer Al Snow and The Rock. At WrestleMania X8, Maven lost the Hardcore Championship to Spike Dudley during Maven's match with Goldust but won the title back the same night from Christian, thanks to the 24/7 title defense rule. In 2003 Maven entered the Royal Rumble for a second time. He attempted to eliminate Undertaker by using the dropkick a second time but failed and was eliminated again by Undertaker. Subsequently that year, Maven continued wrestling on WWE Heat and making sporadic appearances on RAW. Nonetheless, in March, Maven was given a World Title match against then Champion Triple H, on Heat, but lost. In 2004, Maven experienced the biggest push in his career, even gaining a victory over then-Evolution member Batista. Maven then took part in a Survivor Series Elimination Match at Survivor Series 2004, teaming with Randy Orton, Chris Benoit, and Chris Jericho to face Triple H, Batista, Gene Snitsky, and Edge for the power to control Raw for one month. Maven was attacked backstage by Snitsky prior to the match, but after Benoit was eliminated, Maven arrived to join his teammates. He was eventually eliminated by Triple H. Orton was the sole survivor and as a result, he and his team had control of RAW for one month. Maven was the first to control Raw, booking himself in a World Heavyweight Championship match against Triple H, who tried to get out of it by offering Maven a place in Evolution. He declined, but despite interference from Jericho, Benoit, and Orton, Triple H retained the title due to interference from Snitsky and Ric Flair. Maven turned into a villain two weeks later by turning on Eugene, assaulting him as revenge for his elimination in a Battle Royal on Raw. Maven then feuded with then-Intercontinental Champion Shelton Benjamin, culminating at New Year's Revolution 2005 in a singles match for the championship. Before the start of the match, Maven did a worked interview out of the ring, blasting the Puerto Rico crowd. Benjamin quickly defeated him in just a matter of seconds, using a roll-up. Maven then cut a promo on Benjamin, stating that it "Didn't count", and challenged Shelton for a re-match. It was accepted, he returned to the ring, and was then beaten in seconds, yet again, by Shelton's signature T-Bone suplex. During this time, he entered an unofficial alliance with Simon Dean, serving as a successful user of the Dean character's "Simon System" line of nutritional products. The team was split when Dean was traded to SmackDown!, and Maven was subsequently released by WWE on July 5, 2005. Category:WWE Hardcore Champions Category:Tough Enough Winners Category:Current Alumni